Ash-Tear Priests
A zealous and fanatical cult dedicated to the worship of the Great War, they would leave a legacy of human sacrifice and terror for many, though some did approve of their community outreach. History The Ash-Tears would be founded by a man known only as 'Chalice' a robed drifter that claimed to be from before the War. Most would kick him out of their settlements due to his human appearance and talk of destruction, but he would come upon a worthy temple in 2156. Formerly a depot for regional bus service, Chalice saw something more in the location, and would cover it in banners and esoteric symbols. He then returned to his drifting to find willing believers. This would be accomplished by stealing two child slaves and taking them back to his temple, before initiating them. These children, 6 and 8 respectively, would be trained for the next dozen years, learning all the secrets of the ashes. He would also take them to find followers and would build a small cult by his death in 2180. By then they had moved from a eccentric group huddled around a small fire to a full death-cult, that actively sacrificed humans and animals to appease their deity. They would begin to actively raid and threaten smaller farmsteads and outposts, but would never number enough be able to pose a serious threat to The Peg. The Ash-Tears would try to convert some neighbors peacefully starting in 2192, by offering to help on their farms. This was initially viewed as a ploy, but after the cult stopped raiding some farms, the locals were inclined to hear them out at least. They would manage to convince several farmers to accept their help, though they would never be fully trusted. Their raids would finally result in retaliation in 2200, when a small posse of raiders emerged from The Peg and tried to burn their temple. They would be unprepared for the cultists' zeal however and little damage was done to the building. They would be ignored after that, both by the raiders and the democratic governments of the peg, allowing them to raid and worship at leisure. The Ash-Tears would sit by the side when the Hellfires took over and relocated The Peg, waiting to prey on stragglers. They would send a small party to offer tribute to the mercenaries, assuring their security for the near future. After slaughtering a small ranch in 2220 the Priests acquired several Komodo Dragons. This allowed them to be self-feeding for a time, reducing their raids. They would soon start to abduct travelers to feed to the beasts however, seeing them as the embodiment of the Ash god on earth. Despite their debased worship and provocation, The Ash-Tear Priests wouldn't be destroyed until 2238. This would be at the hands of Yarbor Gurns, a raider warlord who had recently taken The Peg and was seeking to cement his rule. The widespread ill will towards the priests made them an obvious target, and their temple would be surrounded by dozens of raiders soon after. The priests would give a war prayer before the great majority charged the raider lines, though some did try to flee, though only a young Halverston Manglage would escape. Afterward their temple was ransacked and burned along with their garden, erasing any trace of the group. Beliefs The Ash-Tears believed that the Great War was the end of the last god-cycle, more specifically it's death, and the birth of a new god. This being took the form of an ashy tear and appeared all over the world, thus was his power. They held that radiation was the blessing of this Ashen god, and that it collected it the bones. This lead them to abduct and sacrifice victims, smashing their bones to free the radiation back to the Ash god. They would also promote gardens and farming, viewing the mutant foods as part of the new-cycle. They would soon help neighboring scavengers and potential converts with this task, earning them some good will. This would evolve into a general reverence towards mutant creatures, but the group would be destroyed before it could develop further. Category:Groups Category:Cults Category:Manitoba Category:Defunct